ZodiacTale
by LadyTikva
Summary: The Greater Celestial Spirits have been guarding and guiding the cosmos since time began, sentient star clusters who ensure that all goes well in the worlds below. When one of the zodiac spirits, Virgo, is called to take on an important mission, they hesitatingly accept, not realizing just how dangerous their first mission to the world below will be...
1. Chapter 1: The Stars' Inception

ZodiacTale

Chapter 1: The Stars' Inception

The countless stars stretched endlessly into the cosmic sphere, myriads of mysteries existing far beyond the furthest reach. The darkness of space felt minuscule and nonthreatening compared to the uncountable numbers of little lights littering the luminous expanse. Shapes and forms of constellations and asterisms were scattered across the boundless sky, the view far above any clouds that may have wanted to inhibit the indescribable panorama spread out above. Twinkling with infinite energy, celestial bodies of all sizes could be seen as they lazily traveled their fated paths. Swirls of passionate blues and vibrant indigos swirled around in the sky, dancing and moving by an unseen hand.

Virgo mutely regarded the incomparable scenery before them, awestruck by the unfathomable beauty of this secret spot. Below them, lush green grass whispered quietly in the wind, singing a song that the mortals had long since lost. Decently sized trees formed a semi-circle around the glade, shielding the hidden area from view of the main temple. Virgo allowed their soul to be lost within the ethereal wonderland that they had been lead to, only snapping out of their trance when the voice of Gemini, their older sibling, reverberated within their head. "this is it, kiddo. one of my favorite places in paradise. its so relaxing, you could say it's _heaven_ ly."

Ignoring their sibling's lingering laughter, Virgo cautiously approached the lip of the terrain, staring down at the blue-hued Earth below. If they concentrated, they could imagine the monsters hard at work under Mt. Ebott, down in the Underground where they had been banished after a terrible war between themselves and the humans. Virgo wished that they could actually see the monsters, but unfortunately, since the sky did not shine its revealing light into that dank cavern, the spirits were practically blind to anything that occurred there. However, Virgo could gaze upon the humans. Virgo focused, envisioning them in their mind's eye. Humans walking down loud and busy streets with technology everywhere, billboards advertising that the year 201X was almost over and that every human needed a new house, a new car, a new kidney, and everything in between.

Virgo was pulled back to reality as the solar wind blew gently over their glowing form, lightly caressing the luminous being. Beside them, Gemini allowed their glistening body to fall gracefully into the soft grass. They were regarding their younger sibling lazily yet intently, form drooping and relaxing slightly as if they were about to take a nap. Virgo resisted the urge to good-naturedly roll their eyes; they never could understand why their favorite sibling loved sleep so much even though neither of them, nor any of the rest of their race, for that matter, needed it.

Well, who could say. Virgo pressed themselves up against their older sibling, and felt Gemini shift in response to make Virgo more comfortable. Virgo happily gave the other what could only be described as a smile, waves of contentment radiating from their very soul before a spark of curiosity welled up, ignored until it became persistent enough to warrant asking their favorite sibling the now burning question. "Hey, Gemini," the small voice echoed in the older one's mind.

With an answering smile, Gemini regarded their second favorite sibling affectionately. "what's up, Virgo?"

"Why are we here?"

"well, you said that ya wanted to go somewhere quiet…"

"No, I mean why were we created? Why are we _here_?"

Virgo could feel the surprise emanating from Gemini, and the mature voice resounding within Virgo's mind fell silent for a moment as Gemini chose their words carefully before responding to the multi-faceted question. "did i _here_ you right? ya wanna know why we're here?"

That last part felt rather incredulous, and Virgo practically bristled in embarrassment and annoyance. Their older sibling's deep chuckle resounded within the space of their mind, and Gemini reached over to rub soothing circles into their incensed sibling's shoulder. "hey, kiddo. i didn't mean to make ya upset. i was just surprised, since you never seemed interested before."

Virgo's focus shifted away from their older sibling, choosing to concentrate on the infinite starry landscape before them before a quiet answer slipped from their mind.

"It…it didn't really matter before." Gemini sensed the shift in their smaller sibling's mood, but decided not to press the issue.

"alright then. since i can read ya like a book, i might as well _tale_ you about our his- _story_." Virgo released a smattering of giggles, unable to hide their amusement at Gemini's joke. The older sibling's happiness radiated off of them in waves, causing Virgo to laugh even more.

"That was horrible." Somehow, they could feel their sibling winking at them.

"i know. now, let's get to what you really wanna hear, hm?" Virgo shifted themselves a little until they were more comfortable as they waited for their older sibling to speak, but instead of launching into the story, they seemed to be thinking about something. "here. i think it'll be better if i showed you." Virgo felt Gemini asking permission to enter their mind, and easily granted it. They felt the calm, soothing presence that was their favorite sibling gently infiltrating their consciousness, carefully avoiding memories and other personal things.

Suddenly, their vision went dark and they could sense nothing; no matter what angle, only nothingness reigned and they felt a slight panicky feeling settle in their soul. Having so much nothing around was rather disorienting, and somewhat suffocating in a way. Within their mind, their sibling's voice reverberated as if it were coming from all directions, settling into "storyteller mode."

"in the beginning, there was nothing. creation had not yet touched this distant realm, and only the void reigned. there was nothing- piles upon piles of nothing. so much nothing that you could fill up your pockets with it and not even scratch the surface of how much nothing was there."

Virgo felt extremely uncomfortable staring into the void, even if it wasn't the real thing, for so long and so they were grateful when their eyes locked onto a silvery beacon, which quickly transformed into a portal of shimmering, gentle light. Out of the portal came a gorgeous woman, clad head to toe in silvery, shiny fabric. It appeared almost reflective in nature, and her skin seemed to be composed of millions upon millions of stars. Her hair glimmered, lit up by what seemed to be nebulae and other astronomical entities. She took Virgo's breath away; she was the most beautiful being they had ever seen.

"one day, through a strange portal to another dimension, a beautiful woman sauntered out. she was peerless in her beauty, and-"

"That's Mom! Right?" Virgo excitedly interrupted. Gemini nodded, their mental affirmation prompting Virgo to let them continue. "that's right. our mom, cosmos, emerged from her homeworld into the void that was our world one day, and was met only with nothingness. she waited for eons, hoping that another life would come to be, or for anything to happen really, but to no avail. she was alone."

Gemini paused when they felt the sadness radiating from their smaller sibling. "Poor Mom…" Virgo watched discontentedly as their mom appeared to droop and wilt, some of her enticing and welcoming light fading.

"hey, don't worry," Gemini reassured gently. "it got better." Virgo sniffed, and refocused their attention on the visions that their older sibling was sharing with them. "cosmos decided that if there was no life to be found, or even any form of creation, then she would make it happen herself. she gathered all of her energy into her body, and, choosing to forsake her physical form, spread her infinite energy outwards in a massive explosion." Virgo stared, mystified, as their mother seemed to draw in every last ounce of energy that she had until the silvery glow surrounding her form was almost painful to look at. Then, in a split second, color filled Virgo's vision as the multiverse was brought into being in a silent explosion of light and magic, the scale of which they could not even begin to describe. Around them, proto-planets and stars began to form, and quarks began to fuse together into elements right before Virgo's entranced eyes.

"That's the Big Bang! Or at least, the Big Bang is what the humans call it." The storyteller nodded again, quietly happy that Virgo was so interested in the subject.

"yep. she really did go out with a _bang._ " Virgo regarded the other with a rather unamused smile and the other mentally shrugged. "eh, they can't all be winners. anyway, from the energy that she released, planets began to form. time came to be. in less than a second, every single element that ever existed or will exist formed and began to change and combine to become matter. and so, just like that, our multiverse was born. by giving up her physical body and scattering her physical essence throughout the void, creation began." Virgo listened and watched intently, fully enraptured in their sibling's story. The vision began to speed up, and Virgo stared in awe as the multiverse changed and shifted to become the familiar structure they knew.

"you know the rest; over the course of trillions of years, the multiverse continued to expand and grow. mom may not be physical anymore, but she's still omnipresent, always watching over us. she relies on us to keep all the other life in the multiverse safe."

Gemini felt Virgo's confusion as soon as they finished their explanation, and patiently waited for the forthcoming query. "But… what do you mean by _us_?" I thought the 15 of us were…?" They trailed off, unsure quite what they were getting at. It didn't prove to be a problem, though, because Gemini understood what they were asking.

"i mean all the celestial spirits. after creation came to be, mom wanted entities who could protect all the life that she'd made. so, out of a multitude of the stars that were created, she infused certain groups of stars with life and morality to guard the rest of creation. she called forth a set number of guardians in each galaxy, and in our galaxy- the one that the humans call the milky way- she assigned thousands of spirits. 90 of them were to guard the region we're in, and 15 of those- those of us who live up here, in this temple- were assigned to this particular solar system, although earth is the only planet with any sort of interesting life just yet so most of our work is done here."

Virgo stared incredulously as clusters of stars began to glow brighter and brighter, and the magical forms of their siblings and relatives began to take shape as the constellations were given life and souls, the magic of the stars contributing to and serving as a power source for the spirits' magic.

"Oh, so that's why I can see Uncle Orion and Aunt Cassiopeia from here but they don't actually help us protect the Earth."

"yep, pretty much. i know that's a lot to take in, but hey. at least the humans have finally found all 88 constellations, and therefore all 90 celestial spirits. they just love us, the zodiac, the most because we actually protect them from whatever fate throws at them." With that, Virgo felt Gemini's presence leave their mind, maintaining the connection that allowed them to speak to each other but allowing Virgo their privacy once again.

"heh. unfortunately, humans and monsters eventually developed the system of astrology, which is really funny but awfully inaccurate in terms of how they see us. i mean, in astrology, they only think about 12 constellations of the zodiac. poor ophiuchus got shafted, and they don't seem to count that pisces and my twin and i are actually a two for the price of one deal, so there are technically 13 constellations and 15 celestial spirits in the zodiac but they don't seem to get it. but hey, what can ya do."

Virgo nodded their head sagely, aware of the human's tendency to confuse astronomical information and astrological ideas; their siblings Scorpius and Capricornus were often subjected to being called the wrong names. "But if Mom created everything, why would she allow anything to happen to the things she makes?"

"hey, i said mom was omnipresent, not omnipotent. there's a difference, and the difference is all of the infinite power she had in the beginning is going into expanding and renovating the place; she doesn't have any to spare, even if she wanted to. even if she's present for every single tiny thing that goes on, she doesn't have the power to control absolutely every little thing that happens. that's why we're here. we're the maintenance crew."

Virgo quieted, processing this information. "Alright, I guess that makes sense." They suddenly righted themselves, preparing to dash off.

"hey, where ya goin', kid?"

Despite that Virgo was already at lightspeed and moving fast, Gemini could hear them loud and clear; Virgo's voice was excitedly echoing in the corners of their mind. "I've gotta go; I need to do something!" With that, they cut off their connection, and the older sibling was left alone with the quiet of their own thoughts. The silence did not last long, however, as their younger twin suddenly came into view, heading straight for them.

"TWIN! YOU ARE LATE!"

The older twin shrugged good naturedly as the taller twin's booming voice reverberated in their mind. "sorry, gemini. i had to talk to our little sib. ya know how i can never t- _win_ against them."

At the mention of younger siblings, the younger twin relaxed. "WELL, I GUESS THAT'S FINE-" The older twin was suddenly treated to what could only be described as a mental death glare as the other processed the pun. "IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE OTHER HALF OF OUR SOUL, I WOULD DISOWN YOU." The shorter twin merely gave another one of their mental winks.

"aw, c'mon, gem. you know that a bond like ours can't be dis-soul-ved so easily."

The larger twin emitted a loud "ARGH!" before they gently picked up their twin and set off for home, the other choosing to fall asleep as soon as their feet were off the ground.


	2. Chapter 2: The Stars' Secrets

ZodiacTale

Chapter 2: The Stars' Secrets

As soon as their taller twin set them down with a loud "NYEH!" so that they could train with Taurus, Gemini set off to find their second favorite sibling. After a few moments of roaming the grounds, they found Virgo kneeling in their garden, humming a little tune to themselves as they watered their plants, seemingly engrossed in their daily task. They had probably hurried back from their little talk to take care of their garden; the small plot of land that had been gifted to them as their own had certainly blossomed after they took ownership of it, and Gemini couldn't help but root for them as they set about their work with great determination. As far as the eye could seed, gorgeous blooms covered the garden, and their sweet aroma filled the vacuum of space. Virgo really was budding into a fine gardener, as many of their flowers had been used by some of their siblings for decoration or for science, and they certainly had a passion for it even if they didn't know the names of many of the flowers that they planted. Every so often, their siblings would bring some flowers back from Earth, to join the rows of botanical beauties adorning the garden. A rose trellis a-rose imposingly near the Earthly flowers, and straight across from those were plots of vegetables of all sorts. The tomato plants were given their biggest area, as those were used to make the homemade ketchup that their sibling adored so much.

Gemini carefully stepped over the magical barrier surrounding the peaceful plot. Virgo had put it up after some of their… louder siblings had barged in uninvited one too many times. Being the introvert that they were, this was their refuge and the quiet space that they tended to come to when they wanted to think. Virgo rarely allowed anyone else except for Gemini to come back here uninvited, and Gemini always felt a small spark of pride that this precious place was shared with them.

"heh. workin' hard, kiddo?"

Virgo didn't even turn to them as they nodded excitedly. "Yep! Just finishing up with watering these rosebushes." Virgo chuckled. "Thanks again for helping me figure out the whole thing with the magical soil. It would suck if these couldn't grow because they couldn't get what they needed."

Virgo's tone drooped a little at the mention of dead flowers, and Gemini patted their back gently. "hey, it was my pleasure. lookin' at all these great flowers… you really outdid yourself, kid." Virgo smiled at their sibling's praise, and slowly got to their feet.

With a few stretches and twinges out of the way, they motioned for Gemini to sit with them on a nearby bench. As they did so, Virgo then sprang up with an "Oh!" and motioned for them to wait a moment. They ran back to the garden, and taking out a hand shovel, started digging in a small mound of dirt off to the side. After a moment, their dirt-covered hands were gently gripping a small leather-bound journal, and they quickly procured a pen from their pocket. They opened the book to the next blank page and began writing, the date printed neatly at the top. Gemini discretely looked away, despite knowing that they were the only one that Virgo would ever allow to know that they had a diary, much less be aware of its location. Still, Gemini would never peek into their younger sibling's diary – it just felt wrong, and honestly, digging the thing up was far too much work anyway. However, the fact that Virgo trusted them with something so personal warmed Gemini's soul, and soon as Virgo finished writing everything down, they wordlessly handed Gemini the book. They rolled their eyes good-naturedly, mumbling about how much work they were being forced to do. Still, they took it gently and walked back to the hole from whence it came. With a small bit of magic, the journal's resting place was neatly covered once again, no evidence of its existence ascertainable.

Gemini joined Virgo once again on the bench as they both stared into space, enjoying the expansive view of the universe and letting a comfortable and companionable silence settle over them. After a few moments, Virgo spoke up. "Hey, Gemini." Gemini turned to face them.

"hm? what's up, kiddo?"

Virgo shifted nervously in their seat, suddenly appearing uncomfortable for some reason. "I was wondering... how many times have you been to Earth?" Gemini frowned in thought for a moment, not entirely sure where this was going.

"i think i've been there about six times before. why?"

Virgo tried to keep the tremor out of their voice. "Just wondering… oh, Gemini?"

"yeah?"

"Could you please tell me more of your Earth stories?"

Gemini blinked, surprised. "sure. i don't mind. you're just really in the mood for stories today, aren't cha?"

Virgo nodded, a small smile appearing on their face. They loved their big sibling's stories about Earth, and all of the ones that they'd told had been really interesting. There were some sad ones, but most of them were funny. However, they also got the sense that Gemini was keeping some of the stories to themselves, and while they did not want to intrude on their favorite sibling's privacy, they knew that out of those six times that they had been on Earth, they had only shared stories about two or three. Still, it wasn't their place to judge; they knew that Gemini hadn't told even their twin half as many of the tales that they told Virgo, and Virgo was glad that this secret story time was something special, something that only the two of them shared.

"temple to Virgo, temple to Virgo." Gemini's voice droned in their ear, and they were suddenly aware of being poked gently in the side. "hey, ya wanna hear my story or not?"

"Yeah, of course I do!" they exclaimed excitedly, enthusiasm emanating from them in waves.

Gemini chuckled. "alright. let me tell you about the time that my mom wanted me to train a dragon…"


	3. Chapter 3: The Virgin's Mission

ZodiacTale

Chapter 3: The Virgin's Mission

Virgo carefully walked up the white marble steps of the temple, slowly traveling towards the middle chamber. Despite the optimism with which they had left their sibling earlier, their good mood was gone, and in its place, trepidation remained. The Grecian-looking structure stood proudly against the everlasting expanse of the eternal night, the only building on the seemingly floating island where the Celestial Spirits dwelled. The stairs that Virgo was currently climbing led up to a grand entrance, a shimmering set of polished wood double doors that led into an elegantly furnished and expansive space. In the middle of the room was a gargantuan brazier, an eternal flame burning in the center. There were no walls, as the spirits preferred to be able to see the vivacious vista surrounding them, and so the columns were covered in tapestries of timeless tales. Around the furious fire were 15 throne-like chairs, each decorated in a unique way to symbolize the soul of its owner. A few had nautical or oceanic motifs, while some were covered in scorch marks. One was even composed of a mass of writhing snakes, forever shifting and moving. However, in Virgo's opinion, the loveliest of them all was covered in golden flowers, vines covering the throne and constantly blooming. Virgo gave a small smile as they dashed past it; seeing their seat never failed to make them feel a little better.

Behind the thrones, two staircases stretched in opposite directions. The upper staircase led to the spirits' private chambers and the many other rooms that the spirits required; laboratories, the library, and the observatory were all located on the top floor. The lower one, however, led to one non-descript wooden door, and this seemingly innocuous entryway hid Virgo's final destination.

They reached the bottom of the polished marble steps, and pushed the door open slowly. They were greeted with a small room that shone with a lustrous sheen, the light coming from some unseen source. The white walls were covered in runes, ancient script holding powerful magic far beyond the scope of the mortals' imagining. The First Writings were written in this hand, and as Virgo's gaze trailed over the words, they could feel the ancient energies contained in the small golden script. As they reached the end of the section that they were skimming, they drew away from the wall and knelt in the center of the room. Clearing their mind, they wordlessly called out for the one with whom they had to speak, their mental cry stretching beyond themselves and even the room around them. "MOTHER!"

In the deepest recesses of their mind, they heard a quiet answer, a voice that sounded like the tinkling of bells in the wind. They felt their consciousness being entered once again, but instead of the familiar aura that their sibling gave off, a sense of boundless warmth and endless love permeated their thoughts. Within their head, an answer to their call echoed gently, a feeling of calm and clarity wrapping like a warm blanket around Virgo's soul and soothing their spirit.

"Hello, my darling. Have you given more thought to what I have asked of you?"

Virgo took a moment to recall their mother's request. "Yes. There will come a time when an anomaly will appear on the face of the Earth, and you wish for me to help them on their journey, correct?"

A feeling of affirmation answered Virgo's question, and their mother began to elaborate. "That is correct. I have chosen you because you are the most powerful of the Zodiac; you have great and powerful abilities that will aid you on this quest, and your loving heart will serve you well. However…"

Virgo could sense a slight hesitation emanating from Cosmos. "This will require you to take a mortal form," the deity said gently. "That will entail you giving up most of your powers, and you will not be able to see your family again until the deed is done. In may even take more than one mortal lifetime to complete this task."

Cosmos must have sensed Virgo's worry, because a strong pulse of warmth and comfort quickly echoed throughout Virgo's body. "I… I have never been to the surface before. What will I do if something goes wrong? And even though I talked to Gemini, I am still rather worried about leaving them…"

A quiet chuckle resounded through the confines of Virgo's mind. "Do not fear, my dear. As long as you can see the sky, help is but moments away. Remember, even though I am not all powerful, I am still everywhere. I will always be with you, my darling, even if you cannot hear me."

Reassured, Virgo mustered their courage as determination filled their soul. "Alright, mother. For you, I will do this." They took a breath. "I was talking with Gemini earlier, and they showed me that we were created to be guardians. I suppose that it is time for me to assume that mantle for myself." Virgo trembled slightly, worry evident in their tone, yet there was also an undercurrent of determination and conviction that shone through in each word.

Cosmos chuckled. "Very well. Let us go and announce the news to your siblings."

Suddenly, as quickly as she had come, Virgo felt Cosmos leave their thoughts, leaving them with the familiar solitary stillness once again. They quickly righted themselves and left the room, closing the door behind them. As they sprinted up the staircase and approached the front steps of the temple, they saw all of their siblings congregating around the entrance.

As they approached, Cosmos' melodious, bell-like voice rang out in the assembled spirits' heads. "Everyone, I have an announcement. Your sibling, Virgo, will embark on a quest to go down to the Earth below and assist an anomaly on their journey. They will leave in two days, and will be gone for several years. This is their first excursion to Earth, and so..."

As Cosmos spoke, all of Virgo's hesitation returned in a rush, and their soul felt like it was flip-flopping in their chest. Nervous shivers ran throughout their body, and as they silently berated themselves for feeling this way in front of their trusted siblings, the older Gemini twin's lustrous glow had dimmed significantly. The fear and trepidation were emanating from them in waves, and their twin shifted closer, offering moral support for their emotional plight.

"…Please wish them the best of luck, my children." As Cosmos finished, her presence receded from the minds of the assembled spirits, and there was a beat of silence before congratulations broke out among Virgo's siblings. They began climbing the steps to embrace Virgo, but Virgo stared far beyond them, at the retreating back of the older Gemini twin.


	4. Chapter 4: The Stars' Hesitation

ZodiacTale

Chapter 4: The Stars' Dilemma

"Gemini! Wait! Please!" Virgo's voice rang out through the crowd as they ran through the throng of their siblings, struggling to catch up to their older one.

"Good job, Virgo!"

"We can't wait to see how you do!"

"I remember my first time on Earth-"

Each sibling seemed intent on blocking their path, and while Virgo deeply appreciated their siblings reaching out, Gemini… Gemini was foremost on their mind. However, by the time they had broken through, their favorite sibling was nowhere to be found. Quickly, the crowd dispersed, the moment passing like so many others before. However, Virgo's essence wavered. They were desperately hoping that their sibling would be happy for them, but this appeared not to be the case; Virgo could sense the odd mix of anguish, pain, and fear radiating off of them in waves as the announcement was made. It made them feel so inadequate; why did they agree to this? Did Gemini not feel they were up to the task? They had always been a good judge of character, so were they right? What had they gotten themselves into? Doubt, worry, fear, and no small amount of trepidation flooded through them, and their aura began to haze, their luminescence dulling at the thought of the task ahead.

Just then, Virgo sensed a gentle, calming presence behind them, and some of their despair ebbed away as they turned towards them. "Oh… hello Gem," they sniffled, feeling better just by being in their louder sibling's presence.

"HELLO, DEAREST SIBLING! I, THE GRAND GEMINI, HAVE NOTICED YOUR DISTRESS AND I AM HERE TO HELP!"

"Oh, that's kind of you, but…"

"DON'T-" Seeing that Virgo flinched, they lowered their voice a bit – "worry about a thing. I know you must be terribly worried about my twin's reaction, but I can tell you one thing. Come with me."

Gemini gently led Virgo over to a polished wooden bench, the sturdy brown oak gleaming as it reflected the surrounding stars. They motioned for Virgo to sit, and like many times before, Virgo gently laid next to them. The smaller twin may have been Virgo's favorite sibling, but the taller was definitely up there in Virgo's esteem. They were just so easy to talk to. "Don't be scared, my dearest sibling. We Gemini have been down to the surface many times, and while it has not always been pleasant, it has always been worthwhile." They gathered their thoughts before continuing, evidently trying to think through the best way to articulate their sentiments. "My twin… has had a much harder time on the surface than I have. Our experiences have been drastically different. They fear that you will get lost on the surface, get drawn into the struggles that the mortals undergo. To be honest, it is very difficult not to; even though human lives are short, it is strange how much meaning mortals can have on our lives." They sighed. "However, I think my twin is worrying too much. They care about you deeply, and other than myself, you are certainly their favorite. Your bond is something that even I envy sometimes."

Virgo looked up, surprised. "Really?"

Gemini nodded. "Really. Even though my twin and I tell each other _about_ everything, there is still much that they do not tell me out of respect for you." They chuckled. "However, perhaps that is how it should be. Now then, why don't you go talk to my lazy twin? They're in the observatory."

Virgo brightened considerably. "Thank you, Gemini. I do love you."

Gemini beamed, ecstatic, forgetting to keep their voice down. "AND I YOU, DEAREST VIRGO! NOW, BE OFF!" Feeling reinvigorated, Virgo hurried away to the observatory, as Gemini joined Aquarius, Ophiuchus, and Scorpio for some discussion.

"How is our dearest Virgo doing?" came Aquarius' melodious voice. "They seemed strangely nervous earlier…"

"VIRGO WILL BE FINE. I THINK THAT THEY JUST NEED TO TALK TO MY TWIN!"

"Hm. Well, they were always close," Aquarius mused. "Anyway, shall we get started with our weekly puzzle challenge?"

"BUT OF COURSE! NYEH HEH HEH!"

As Gemini bonded with their siblings over a mutual love of puzzles and managed to crush the competition over a solid selection of sudoku challenges, Virgo trekked back to the main temple and headed into one of the side rooms. Upon entering, they climbed the tall spiral staircase leading them to the observatory, white polished marble reflecting their luminous form as they ascended. Once they reached the landing, they saw the smaller Gemini twin looking out into the cosmos, books strewn all over, copious notes in a messy hand scattered all about. They were pressed up against a massive telescope, one that could see far beyond the furthest reach of anything the humans could have created. Gemini seemed intent on their work, but Virgo knew that Gemini had sensed their presence as soon as the door downstairs had opened.

"Gemini…" Virgo started haltingly. Their sibling ignored them, but the waves of irritation, worry, and distress rolling off of them were far too strong to ignore. "Please… talk to me."

After several long moments, Gemini sighed and walked away from the telescope. "listen, kid. you know I love ya. i'm just worried that you're gonna get hurt down there." They kept gliding along the white marble floor until they were standing right in front of Virgo. "ya haven't seen what i've seen. heard what i've heard. the surface changes all of us, every time we go down there." They gave Virgo a worried expression. "i'm afraid… afraid that you're gonna go down, and never come back…" they trailed off in a whisper. Virgo could feel it. The hesitance, the insecurity, the worry… but somehow, although Virgo understood, they couldn't agree. They were filled with determination.

"Gemini… I think… I have to do this." They looked up quickly, aura shifting with mixed emotions. "I'm not so little anymore. I know that this is considered a rite of passage of sorts, for all of us. I know how protective you are of me, and I'm so grateful." The words tumbled out in a rush. "But… I have to grow up. It's my turn now, and this job sounds super important. I can't just stay up here forever, Gemini. Please… please understand."

Their sibling was silent for a long moment, and Virgo could feel them reading their aura. Their bravery, kindness, perseverance, and the like were all there, but those were all second to the sheer amount of determination present in their aura. Gemini checked their stats as well, and gave a great sigh as they saw what they'd already supposed to be true; Virgo really was the strongest of them all in terms of raw power, and even if they had much to learn, there really was nobody better. Gemini didn't like the idea of being far from their side, but they were right. Everyone had to grow up at some point.

As Virgo watched, Gemini's aura seemed to solidify again, proof of some kind of decision having been made. "if you're sure… then i won't stop you. yer right. i can't prevent you from growin' up and livin' your life. but virgo… please. if you need help, call me. i will do everything in my power to help you." A gentle warmth radiated from Gemini as they came closer, and Virgo fell into the comforting embrace, glad for their favorite sibling's support. "it's gonna be hard down there. it's gonna be cruel. you're not going to have an easy time, especially with a mission like this. but… well, other than mom, there's no one who believes in ya more, kiddo." They stayed like that for a good while, wrapped up in each other, and it was only when the taller twin joined the hug without a word that Virgo drifted off into a deep and comfortable sleep, surrounded by their two favorite people in the universe.


End file.
